ARSIS BASSIST NATHANIEL CARTER LEAVES BAND BECAUSE HE HATES WEED?

Let me begin by saying that this should be treated as hearsay until further notice. There’s been no official statement by the band, so we’re really just going on a reader e-mail here. And while we love you guys, y’know. We also love not reporting false information and/or getting sued.

So ANYWAY, MS Maniac Brutal Jay e-mailed us about the MetalSucks-sponsored Facemelter Tour‘s recent stop in Spartanburg, SC – and, specifically, the fact that the band now seems to be a member short. Says Brutal Jay:

“When Arsis took the stage the first thing I noticed was the absence of a bass player. Now, on stage Jim [Malone, guitarist/vocalist] tried to play it off by saying ‘We had a bass player last night but… I guess his face melted… or something.’ So of course after their set I went up to Nick [Cordle, guitarist] to see what actually happened. And Nick said ‘[Bassist Nathanial Carter] smelled pot on the bus and got all pissed off. We didn’t know this but apparently he’s real militant about this sorta thing. He pulled his cell phone out and was threatening to call the cops and shit. So we got him a plane ticket back to Texas and I guess we’ll be without a bass player for a few shows.’”

So, assuming that’s true… uh… big whoop. For one thing, I think everyone and their mother is aware is Arsis has gone through a lot of line-up changes over the years, and it doesn’t really matter, because, with all due respect to the other talented musicians who have played in Arsis, James Malone is the genius and creative driving force behind that band. In fact, I’d now like to propose that Jim and the band both just change their names to Malarsis in order to avoid any further confusion.

Also, it’s hard for me to get behind someone who is so staunchly anti-weed as Carter (assuming he actually is anti-weed). If you don’t wanna poke smot, fine; more for the rest of us! But would you really call the cops on your own band mates? If so, congratulations! You are a tool. Please report to Home Depot for you new job assignment.

If anyone has seen any subsequent Arsis dates and can give us an update, please do so.

-AR